October 31, 2016 – In response to a federal judge’s refusal to approve a settlement between the City of New York and plaintiffs in the Handschu case related to NYPD suspicionless surveillance of Muslims in New York City, Muslim Advocates and the Center for Constitutional Rights, which are in settlement talks with the City over the NYPD’s suspicionless surveillance of Muslims in New Jersey in the case Hassan v. City of New York, issued the following joint statement:

Given the long-documented history of constitutional violations by the Intelligence Division of the NYPD, dating back decades and most recently targeting Muslims almost exclusively, the court was wise to demand greater oversight of the Intelligence Division’s surveillance and investigative activities. As the court recounted, plaintiffs and class counsel had pushed for more oversight over the Intelligence Division, and, in response to this ruling, we hope the NYPD will finally agree to the increased transparency and accountability mechanisms the court recognized the Muslim community deserves to ensure respect for their rights to free speech, association, and equal protection.